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Tag: MMORPG

  • Housing in World of Warcraft Is Giving Players a Huge Creative Suite to Make Azeroth Their Own – Xbox Wire

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    When it comes to hotly anticipated World of Warcraft updates, few have sizzled for longer than Player Housing – a feature that will bring liveable homes and dynamic neighbourhoods to the ever-evolving world of Azeroth. And the best news? It’s almost here – scheduled to land in the final patch of The War Within starting on December 2.

    The WoW team is giving players a whole new way to express creativity, so we sat down with Design Lead Toby Ragaini and Lead UX Designer Laura Sardinha to find out how housing works, and how it’s offering the ultimate cosy, creative retreat for all types of WoW players.

    Housing has been in development at Blizzard for a while, and the team knew that it not only had to meet expectations for such a requested feature, but also exceed them, according to Ragaini. While the update will be released as part of Midnight, WoW‘s latest expansion, the feature itself is evergreen, something that players can invest in for the long term. 

    “It took years of design and engineering to get where we are today,” says Ragaini. “We wanted something that felt like a whole new part of the game, that would grow with the community.”

    So how will it work? Players can obtain a plot of land (though they will have two total for their Warband, one for each faction neighborhood), and every plot contains a house. Each plot differs by style, shape and biome, built to accommodate whatever vibe you’d like. Some houses within a neighborhood are grouped for a more communal feel, allowing friends to become digital neighbors, while other spots are more isolated for the recluses and the solo settlers among you. 

    No matter how isolated your plot might be, however, all player housing exists within neighborhoods, which contain approximately 50 houses each. There are Public Neighborhoods, where anyone can buy a home, and Private Neighborhoods, which can be created and managed by Guilds or larger groups of players that all want to share a space. Once you’ve chosen a house, you’ll live among those players until you decide to leave the neighborhood. It’s inherently social, a dynamic hub where you’ll be able to see what all your neighbors are up to at all times, which was important for the WoW team. 

    “These neighborhoods, and the neighbors you have – they’re going to persist for as long as you live in that community,” Ragaini says. “I think that’s one of the most compelling aspects of MMOs. We’re trying to rekindle the magic of online social interaction in that way.”

    Housing comes with a robust set of permissions, so you can fully customise how other players in the neighborhood can interact with you, and these can be altered at any time.

    “We recognise that ‘social’ means different things to different people,” Ragaini adds. “So we want to make sure that everyone can decide how they want to interact with their neighbours. Whether you want an open house that anyone can visit, or something closed off to visitors, you can choose whatever makes you comfortable.”

    Making A House A Home

    Once you have a home, what’s next? You’ll need to decorate it, both internally and externally – and there is an entire library of whimsical Warcraft decor to discover. What’s more, there’s little limit to how creative you can be with how to design your home and the surrounding land, whether you’re a mage wanting to throw up a quirky wizard tower, or a rogue designing a dark den. Housing is much more than just a gameplay loop to earn rewards – it’s giving WoW players a robust suite of creative tools and UI to express creativity so your home can be truly unique, and a marvel to other players living in the neighborhood.  

    “We allow players to have total freedom of how they arrange things. They can use items in unorthodox ways to make something completely different,” Sardinha says. “In addition to that, you have a room layout tool that defines rooms, but you can also play around with the pieces to create your own room with a secret door, or build puzzles for people to solve – the UI is so powerful in how it allows players to be flexible with what they want to build in their world.”

    Concept art of decor created for the Blood Elf race

    One of the most interesting parts of the Player Housing update is who the WoW team is aiming to engage – besides the long-time players, they want to see cozy gamers, design enthusiasts, and those who may not have found a reason to venture into Azeroth before, but certainly could now.

    To do so, the team wanted housing to be more than a currency grind – expanding your house is a whole new mechanic in itself. With that in mind, it was also important to make housing an approachable update for lapsed or entirely new players – how can this be interesting to the uninitiated, while still introducing those players to the full scope of WoW? 

    “We didn’t want housing to exist as a standalone activity; it needed to be integrated into the core mechanics of World of Warcraft,” Ragiani explains. “So that if someone new comes in and wants to engage with housing, they’re not just feeling isolated, they’re encouraged to participate in all aspects of the game.”

    You’ll be able to earn items for your home – items, furniture, trophies and trinkets – through numerous activities, and anyone can get stuck in, no experience needed.

    “There’s a lot of different ways to play WoW, and no one has the ‘right’ way,” Ragaini says. “So when you’re out doing quests, or raids, or dungeons, there will be opportunities to earn decor and other rewards for your house. You’ll be brought into the core loop of the game as part of the housing experience.”

    To increase that sense of participation, neighborhoods will have semi-regular events called Endeavours, and players within these spaces can work together to complete tasks and unlock rewards for all residents within a neighborhood. These tasks range from questing and running dungeons, to activities like crafting and gathering, so that every style of player can contribute to a community-wide goal. Completing these tasks can also earn you Neighborhood Favor, a new currency used to level up your home, increase your decor limit, or buy additional items from NPCs.

    Player Housing is such a fresh, inviting direction for World of Warcraft, a game that is so visually warm and entrancing, but can feel overwhelming in terms of how much content is on offer. This is a smart, interesting way to encourage different types of players to get involved, and idea of building a unique home, sharing a space with friends, and completing objectives together to craft a collaborative environment is an intensely appealing prospect that I can’t wait to get started with.

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    Danielle Partis, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • How to Get Started in Wizard101 – Xbox Wire

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    Understanding the Art of the Duel

    Now that you’ve selected a school that fits your desired style, it’s time to ready yourself for combat! At its heart, Wizard101 is a turn-based deckbuilding MMORPG. Your success will largely depend on how you build your spell deck, whether you’re fighting solo or with friends, and if you have a bit of luck on your side.

    Only 7 spells will be initially drawn from your deck during combat, so constructing a deck that will allow you to get the right cards at the right time is instrumental. Overloading your deck may result in you not getting helpful cards when you need them, but packing too few cards could mean you don’t have enough spells to finish the fight. It’s a delicate balance!

    Constructing Your Spell Deck

    There are 3 main types of spell sources: regular spells, treasure cards, and item/pet cards.

    • Regular spells are standard spells that you unlock on your adventure either through your professor or through quests. They get added to the “main” section of your spell deck.
    • Item/pet cards are spells that come from equipped items and pets. They appear in a specific section below your “main” spell deck. You can choose which pet/item cards you’d like to appear in battle by clicking on them.
    • Treasure Cards are single use spells that have a dedicated section in your spell deck. Once you use one during battle, it’s gone forever. You’ll need to continuously replenish your Treasure Cards if you find yourself using them often.

    When it comes to spell deck strategy, we often find that less is more. It’s very common for new players to get excited and add as many spells to their deck as possible, but that makes it very difficult to fight battles effectively. For example, if you’re at full health, pulling heal card after heal card extends the battle length and doesn’t help you in that specific moment. Packing heal spells is fantastic idea, but make sure you’re keeping a good ratio in mind.

    Don’t be afraid to leave some spots empty too … especially as you continue to level up and have access to larger decks!

    How Combat Works

    Walking up to any enemy will automatically trigger combat to begin. Once the combat starts, you’ll see a 30-second timer and 7 drawn cards from your spell deck. If you’re happy with those cards, amazing! If you’re not, you can always discard any undesired cards to make space for new cards to appear the following round. Discarding a spell also lets you draw a Treasure Card, if you added any to your deck beforehand. A max of 7 cards will always be shown at any given time whether they are normal spells or Treasure Cards.

    When you’re ready to cast a spell, select it and choose which enemy (or ally) you want to play it on. You can also pass if you’d prefer to wait or if you don’t have enough pips to cast the spell you want. Pips are the energy/power you use to cast spells.

    Once all players have selected a spell, the round plays out in a turn-based fashion where the spell cards are brought to life through whimsical animations. After all spells have been cast, the next planning phase commences with another 30-second timer. This continues until either you defeat all the enemies, or the enemies defeat you.

    Helpful Tips for New Wizards

    • Speaking of efficient traveling, utilize the Mark and Recall for locations that you know you’ll need to visit again. You’ll save yourself a lot of walking and time!
    • The Bazaar is an incredible resource for obtaining good gear, especially early on. Check it frequently throughout your adventures to see if anything there provides better stats than what you currently have.
    • The pet system is robust and can be overwhelming at first, but training a pet can come in handy extremely quickly. You never know when a pet spell might just save you in battle!
    • When in doubt? Team-up! If you’re ever stuck on a particular dungeon or boss, you can ask for help through the Team-Up feature. This allows other players in the game to see that you need assistance and come running to your aid.

    There’s so much more to explore in Wizard101, but hopefully you have a good understanding of the basics! We’re grateful to everyone who has played our magical MMO the last 17 years, and we can’t wait to see what the next 17 bring … this time on console!

    Wizard101

    KingsIsle Entertainment, gamigo group


    ☆☆☆☆☆
    314


    ★★★★★


    Unleash your inner magic and prepare to unravel the mysteries surrounding a death professor gone rogue. Darkness threatens to engulf the Spiral as you master powerful spells, explore over 22 whimsical worlds, and team-up with friends in this nostalgic wizard turn-based deckbuilding MMORPG.

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    Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Finding Meaning in Virtual Worlds: How Online Gaming and Digital Communities Can Transform Lives

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    Virtual worlds and online gaming have become a new source of meaning, purpose, and belonging in today’s world, especially for those who struggle with loneliness, social anxiety, or physical disabilities. The new documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin shares the inspiring story of Mats Steen, a young Norwegian man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, who built a meaningful life through the popular game World of Warcraft.

    The digital world is sometimes criticized for being a “shallow escape” from real life. However, for many it can be a reliable source of meaning, connection, and purpose—especially for those who may find it difficult to fulfill certain needs and values in their regular daily lives.

    The Remarkable Life of Ibelin

    The 2024 documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is an insightful and heartfelt story on how people find real meaning, connection, and purpose through online gaming and virtual worlds.

    Mats Steen, a young Norwegian man living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, found freedom and fulfillment through his digital persona, Ibelin, in the popular video game World of Warcraft. Mats’ physical limitations were significant, but in Azeroth, he experienced life without barriers.

    His parents only discovered the extent of his online relationships after his death, realizing that the world they thought was isolating had actually given Mats purpose and belonging. For eight years, Mats was an active member of the Starlight community, a guild within World of Warcraft that became like a family to him. Every evening, Mats would log in to talk, roleplay, and have fun with dozens of online friends. Throughout those years, he dedicated over 20,000 hours to the game and participated in conversations that filled more than 42,000 pages of chat logs.

    The documentary used these chat logs to recreate Ibelin’s life within the game, including sentimental and meaningful moments with his online friends Rumour and Reike. Viewers get to witness, through these virtual interactions, how Mats / Ibelin found a place where he was valued not for his physical abilities, but for his personality, humor, and kindness.

    Through this digital world, Mats was able to find a sense of purpose and belonging. As he says in the documentary, “Games are my sanctuary. I am safe here, feel valued and respected.”

    Finding Love and Romantic Fulfillment in Virtual Space

    Due to his physical condition, Mats struggled to find love and romance at school or among real life friends. However, through his virtual avatar Ibelin in the game, Mats was able to experience rare moments of romantic connection that he never thought possible. For once, he was able to connect with people just based on who they are on the inside; as Mats observed, “Everyone looks good in this world, so looks don’t matter, it’s about personality.”

    In World of Warcraft, Mats formed a romantic bond with a player known as Rumour. Their connection began with playful moments, like when Rumour stole his hat “just to see what happens,” and gradually grew into a deeper and more significant connection over time. One of the most memorable moments was their virtual kiss, which Mats described as, “The closest thing I’ve ever been to a crush my entire life.” Mats would give her digital gifts and flowers, and she reciprocated by drawing a real-life picture of their characters embracing—a gift Mats would hang in his room.

    Real-World Emotional Bonds

    These digital connections often spilled over into real lives and deep emotional bonds.

    One day, Rumour mysteriously disappeared from the game and stopped playing. Mats only later found out that her parents had taken her computer away due to her poor grades. This sudden disconnect deeply affected Rumour, whose real name was Lisette, and she began struggling with depression because she could no longer connect with her online friends. Mats, finding out about her pain, wrote a heartfelt letter to her parents, pleading with them to return her computer and emphasizing the value of the relationships she had formed in the digital world. His support helped Lisette during one of the most challenging periods she faced, showing how genuine and meaningful digital bonds can be, even outside of virtual spaces.

    Another one of his gaming friends, Xenia, known as Reike in the game, struggled to connect with her autistic son. Mats encouraged her to try gaming as a way to bridge the gap, and through World of Warcraft, Xenia was able to find new ways to communicate and bond with her son, including giving each other “virtual hugs,” which was a big deal because her son struggled with human touch in the real world. Xenia also said that her son could now share things with her that he normally couldn’t in person or face-to-face, improving their overall ability to communicate and connect through the shared experience of video games. 

    These are just a couple examples of how Mats’ digital relationships had significant, positive effects on the real lives of those around him, illustrating the powerful potential of online communities to bring about meaningful change.

    Opening Up About His Condition

    Mats took a long time to open up about his physical condition to the other members of Starlight. Feeling completely protected behind his virtual persona, Mats could ignore his material reality and didn’t have to worry about people showing him superficial pity or sympathy because of his illness. 

    This hesitation to open up and be vulnerable unfortunately led to some missed opportunities, including missed phone calls and video chats with his online friends. And during a real-life meetup and party for all the members of Starlight, Mats ended up being one of the few to not attend.

    Despite his fears of vulnerability, Mats eventually found the courage to open up as his illness progressed. He shared his fears of dying without meaning anything to anyone with Reike/Xenia, who reminded him of the profound impact he had made on her life and her son’s life. She then listed all the other people he had positively influenced, proving just how meaningful his presence had been over the years.

    Ibelin’s Funeral and Legacy

    After Mats’ death, the emotional weight of his digital connections became evident. When his parents announced his death on his blog, there was an outpouring of emails filled with love, sympathy, and support for Mats / Ibelin and his family. One email read, “What mattered to Mats was being able to spread joy in our lives. And stuff I learned from his example has changed the way I think about life. I hope that wherever he is, he knows that he’s remembered and treasured, and smiling right now.” Five of his online friends from multiple different countries attended his funeral, showing how deeply these connections extended outside of the virtual world. The Starlight community also organized their own virtual funeral for Ibelin, which has now become an annual tradition to honor his memory.

    Studies Supporting the Value of Online Gaming

    A well-known study (PDF) by Nick Yee (2006) identified three primary motivations for playing MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), such as World of Warcraft. Each of these motivations can be seen in Mats’ experience as Ibelin:

    • Achievement: The drive to accomplish goals, gain recognition, and feel a sense of success. Mats fulfilled important roles within the game, like his ‘investigator job,’ which gave him a sense of duty and made him feel valued and respected as a member of the Starlight team.
    • Social Interaction: The desire to connect, build relationships, and be part of a community. Mats was an active member of the Starlight community, where he built meaningful friendships both online and offline, including his connections with Reike (Xenia) and Rumour (Lisette).
    • Immersion: The desire to lose oneself in a fantasy world and experience life through a completely new perspective. Mats immersed himself in his avatar Ibelin and the virtual world of Azeroth, finding freedom from his chronic illness and experiencing life in a way that was uniquely empowering and uplifting. 

    In another related study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, researchers found that players often experience deep social connections within their gaming communities which can help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation, especially for those who struggle with social anxiety or shyness. And a study in Computers in Human Behavior indicated that the collaborative nature of online games encourages many pro-social attributes such as improved communication, trust, and shared purpose.

    All of these elements are evident in Mats’ story, where his participation in the Starlight community gave him a valued role within a group and elevated his sense of identity and self-worth – all of which are important pillars in building a meaningful life. For individuals facing challenges like physical disabilities or social anxiety, online games can provide an accessible way to fulfill essential psychological needs that may be harder to meet in the physical world.

    Feeling Like You Made a Difference Somewhere

    One of the most meaningful aspects of Mats’ journey as Ibelin was his desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Despite his fears of dying without leaving a mark, Mats’ impact was undeniable. Through his friendships with Rumour, Reike, and others, he provided emotional support, created lasting memories, and changed lives for the better. His story reminds us that feeling like we have made a difference — whether in the physical or digital world —is a fundamental human need that gives life purpose.

    The annual virtual memorials held by the Starlight community, the heartfelt emails his parents received, and the international attendance at his funeral are all powerful symbols of the difference Mats made. His story shows that creating a positive impact on others isn’t just about physical presence, but ultimately the energy you give to others.

    Conclusion

    The Remarkable Life of Ibelin invites us to reconsider how we view digital spaces and the potential they hold for providing meaning, connection, and purpose. The emotional weight of Mats’ story moved me deeply—I’ll admit that by the end of the documentary I was tearing up a little bit, but that shows how powerful “just digital” relationships can be and how inseparable they are from our broader reality. For Mats Steen, World of Warcraft was more than just a game—it was a lifeline, a place where he could be a stronger and more confident version of himself, find love and romantic connection, and support his friends in a real and tangible way. His story is a powerful reminder that behind every avatar is a real person, and that the connections we form online can be just as enriching and life-changing as those we form in the physical world.  

    If you’re looking for more insightful documentaries, check out my recommended list of documentaries here.



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    Steven Handel

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